According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Weems is expected to miss some practice time after dropping a 325-pound bar on his chest in the weight room.

“He was lifting weights, and he dropped the 325-pound bench press bar on his chest,” Garrett said. “So that’s what he is dealing with right now. He has a thumb issue where he can’t put his thumb around the bar, so it’s kind of an open hand and the thing just kind of rolled off on him. So that’s the issue there. We will see how he is day to day. We don’t think he is going to practice today.”

Putting aside the question of the wisdom of asking a man with one good hand to lift 325 pounds with both of them, Garrett seemed hopeful that Weems would return.

“I’ve certainly seen it before in the weight room,” Garrett said. “Sometimes that happens or sometimes they have to throw the weight off of one side or throw the weight off the other side or whatever.

“We think he’s going to be back, but I’m sure it’s pretty painful.”

Remember this the next time you’re looking for a football coach to offer a medical opinion. Having the equivalent of an NFL lineman dropped onto a small area of sternum is enough to get them to acknowledge that it might hurt.

For those of you asking if they employ spotters, for an NFL lineman, that is not a weight where you need somebody spotting you. Those are endurance reps for them, not max reps. If you have, ecspecially now, 10 lineman working out in the weight room, plus other players, you cannot possibly have a spotter at every piece of equipment. I’d say the onus is on the player himself. If you are having trouble gripping the bar, ask for a spotter or do a diffrent workout while rehabing. The Cowboys trainers can’t possibly be blamed for the blatant lack of common sense on the part of these athletes. Also, let me ask you a question, have you ever tried to catch 325 falling lbs? I don’t care who you are, you aren’t preventing injury there, spotter or not. Just glad he’s ok.

Have you heard of spotters? Man is lifting 325 open handed and nobody is spotting him? Bunch of brain surgeons down in Dallas.

romoscollarbone says:Aug 12, 2013 5:43 PM

I second rabidbillsfan’s comments.

Also a lot of guys bench with their thumbs behind the bar. I’ve heard that if you flip your thumb behind it works your tri-ceps. I’m not sure if that’s the case. But I know a handful of guys that don’t wrap their thumb around the bar.

That being said. He’s definitely lucky to have escaped any truly crippling injury.

goldrush36 says:Aug 12, 2013 5:45 PM

mikealstott says: Aug 12, 2013 5:09 PM

What a wus… Only 325? I warm up with that!
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cocheese000 says:
Aug 12, 2013 5:13 PM
there is a video on the web of a russian dude dropping 405 on his chest. crushed his aorta and he ended up dying
Ripped aorta away from the heart, you then bleed to death internally sometimes within minutes. Saw it happen to a friend on a motorcycle ride.

Good form doesn’t typically use the thumbs as the bar rests in the palm of your hands. That said, I’ve dropped around 250 ish. It isn’t pleasant, but you can roll it down your body pretty quick and sit up.

Of course the real question is why in the world is a guy benching 325 without a spotter. That’s just silly.